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By Terri Ogan, Globe Correspondent

The Northshore Mall in Peabody will be cooking up a storm as it hosts the Kidgits Club Lil Chefs event to encourage recipe creativity and culinary education among aspiring young chefs and little foodies.

The culinary event will take place on Saturday, May 18 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., as part of a series of children’s cooking programs being hosted at about 100 Simon malls across the country.

At the event, families will have the chance to participate in a variety of food-focused activities ranging from cooking demonstrations to etiquette lessons, and craft-making with meal items. Other food-inspired activities include making your own pizzas with Pizzeria Regina.

In addition to hands-on activities, kids are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item to the mall to be donated to Haven for Hunger.

In a recent statement, Jayne Stilson, assistant vice president of business development for Simon Brand Ventures and the business-to-consumer division of Simon Property Group, said that this culinary event is aimed to encourage children to learn and exercise their creativity.

“Simon Kidgits Club continuously brings families unique, in-person opportunities to learn and use their imaginations," Stilson said. "Simon malls’ Lil Chefs events deliver just that, a platform for kids and the community to interact with one another, learn and be entertained together by something we’re all familiar with: food.”

In its 10th year, the Simon Kidgits Club is an informative program that focuses on health, wellness, education, safety and entertainment for children ages 3 to 8. The club also offers reading hours featuring favorite children’s authors and hosts various event for holidays like Halloween, Christmas and Easter.

The club programs have engaged more than 1.8 million parents and kids since its inception.

Sponsoring the Lil Chefs event is Qubo, a children’s TV network that aims to create a safe destination for kids of all ages, featuring quality programs that entertain and celebrate learning.